The Central State Historical Archives of Ukraine in Kiev is the oldest archival repositories of Ukraine. The history of Central State Historical Archives in Kiev dates back to 1852, the year on which the Central Archives of Ancient Acts was founded. The Archives funds also included a part of collectionof the Central Archives of the October Revolution (founded as Slobozhanskyi Archives of Revolution), and the Kyiv Regional Historical Archives (founded in 1922 as the Central Historical Archives in the City of Kyiv, renamed in 1932). TsDIAK was founded and registered in marked consistence by the order of NKVD of the USSR on July 24, 1941.

In 1941 process of reorganization of TsDIAK was finished. In 1971 it was supplemented with the records by Kharkiv branch of the TsDIAK (founded in 1880 as Historical Archives of Kharkiv University, 1920 reorganized to Central Historical Archives; in 1932 transformed to the All-Ukrainian Central Archives of Ancient Acts, 1943 renamed as branch of the Central State Historical Archives of Ukraine in the City of Kharkiv).

In July, 1992, the name of the archives was changed into to the Central State Historical Archives of Ukraine in Kyiv (TsDIAK of Ukraine).

The funds of the Central State Historical Archives of Ukraine in Kyiv contain documents of different periode of Ukrainian history: when Ukraine was a part of Lithuania and Poland (from the XIII to XVIII century), a part of the Russian Empire (from the beginning of XVII century to 1917). The most important part of collection belongs to Getman period (from the second half of XVII to XVIII century).

The oldest documental materials in the archives are manuscript of Gospel in Greece dated back to the XIII century, and a parchment charter dated back to 1369 written by Russian warden Otto from Pilche.

The earliest documents gathered in the Collection of Kyiv Archeographical Commission. They comprise miscellaneous charters dated back to the XIV and XV centuries. There are the privileges of Lithuanian princes and Polish kings; the universal decrees of Ukrainian hetmans; Russian tsar’s deeds, etc. These are documents were written in 17 languages. The Collection also keeps 765 original seals (having different degree of retention), and more then 30 crests.

The archival funds consist of valuable cartographical and land-surveying (geodesic) documents from the XVII to the XX century. Among others one can pinpoint the most ancient commemoration of Ukrainian cartography – Borispil Volost’s border map (30s of the XVII century); Kyiv map (1695) composed by M.Ushakov; documents of Kyiv engineering crew, etc.

The most valuable in the TsDIAK documentary collection are the early court records from XVI-XVIII centuries of the courts and estate institutions of the Right-Bank Ukraine-City, district and confederate courts; magistrates and city governments. These files are diverse in content and counting about one million documents from the beginning of the XVI century to 60-s of XVIII century. The acts were written in Old-Ukrainian, Polish and Latin. They concern sales, leases, transfer or division of property, contracts about mortgage and family, the life of citizens, notes on the laws of Kiev and Volyn regions, information on taxes paid and lists of the people and their duties in the specific region, description of castles, towns and fortifying. This collection is a priceless resource for studying the history of Ukraine, also because of information about Bogdan Khmelnitskyi Liberation war, Haidamacks tendencies, Cossacks' and rural uprisings.

The unique source for studying Ukrainian history study is the fund of the Kosh of New Zaporizhska Sich the documents of which highlight the last period of Cossacks existence.

Information of managerial-territorial system and economical development of Left-Bank and Slobidska Ukraine from the XVII-XVIII centuries could be found in the documents of the General Military Office, Malorosiyskyi First and Second Boards, General Description of Left-bank Ukraine, Military Treasure’s office, General Military Court, regiment courts and offices.

Military history of Ukraine is represented by the documents of General Military Artillery’s Chancellery; the Regiment and Gubernskyi chancelleries. There is preserved information about military state, guarding of board, construction of protective erections in Ukraine for the period of time from the XVII to XVIII century.

Records of Namicnyctvo directions of Braclav, Voznesensk, Kyiv, Katerinoslav, Novgorod-Siversk, Podil, Kharkiv, Chernigiv region cover the history of Ukraine in the second half of the XVIII century.

Information about church-cloistral landownership, spiritual education, land disputes, church and cloisters construction, monastic and church property descriptions are kept in the funds of Kyiv and Pereyaslav-Borispil consistories, Kyivo-Pecherska Lavra, Kyiv St.Sophia Cathedral and many others monasteries and cloisters.

These funds contain documents which are of enormous interest for genealogical researches: metrical books of various confessions and churches registers for towns and villages of Kyiv guberniya.

Unique amount for study of economical, political, sociable, educational, cultural and religious relationships of Ukraine and neighboring countries of the XIV to the XX centuries are the personal and family funds of magnates and nobilitiy from the Right-bank Ukraine, such as: Branickyis, Ganskyis, Zamoiskyis, Kortnyaks, Lyubomirskyis, Potockyis, Radzyvilles, Sapegys, Tarnavskyis, and great Ukrainian landowners of Galaganys, Skaropadskyis, Sulymas, Tereschenkos, Khanenkos etc.

The main informative resource of TsDIAK has been formed by the documents of the Russian Empire local organizations and institutions from the XIX – till the beginning of the XX century. Records of Kyiv, Podil, Volyn Governor-General Office, state ownership chambers, lustration commissions contain documents about trade and industry development, public-social tendency, preparation and adoption of the Reform of 1861 in Ukraine, neutralization of Polish uprising in 1830-1831 and 1863-1864, and others.

Records of Police and Gendarmerie institutions, Security boards, and court and prosecutor section highlight the history of political parties and organizations, revolutionary uprisings.